Doing Business in Portugal

Language

Portuguese is the official language of Portugal, and is a Romance language originally derived from Latin. In Portugal’s period of colonial empire in the 16th century, the language spread worldwide, and for this reason Portuguese is now the official language in countries such as Brazil, Mozambique, East Timor and Angola. The language of Mirandese is recognised as a regional official language in some areas of the northeast of the country, and is spoken by some 5000 people.

Click here for more information about our Portuguese Language Services

Economy

Officially recognised as the 13th most globalised country in the world, Portugal was a founding member of the EU in 1960, as well as of the Euro in 1999. Surprisingly, it has the lowest GDP in Western Europe, at $236.967 billion (2008 est.), but despite this it has a stable and for some time a quickly growing and modernising economy. It is also a member of organisations such as NATO, OECD and the UN. 60% of Portugal’s workers are employed in the service industry, for example in tourism. Industry employs 30% of workers,in trades for export such as textiles, footwear, paper, metals, oil refining, ship construction and aerospace development, as well as the country’s famed Port wine. The country’s imports include machinery, textiles and agricultural produce. The country has such natural resources as fish, forest, metal ores and hydropower, and its major trading partners are bordering Spain, France, Germany, US, UK and the Netherlands. Currently, the country’s focus on high-tech industry means that Portugal exports more technology than it imports.
In 1985 Anibal Cavaco Silva was elected prime minister, heralding an era of free-market economic policy, however during the 90s the country voted in a Socialist government, and in 1999 Portugal became founding member of the European Economic and Monetary Union.

Science and Technology

Much of Portugal’s technological and scientific research takes place in Research and Development departments of universities and state-run institutions, with research centres dealing in the biosciences receiving worldwide renown, for example the Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular. The Lisbon Oceanarium is the largest aquarium in the world, one of many examples of the promotion of science and culture in the museums sector, for example elsewhere in the National Museum of Natural History and the Science Museum.Portugal has expanded a series of science parks across the country.

Energy

Portugal is a key proponent of renewable and sustainable energy sources, as proved by its founding in 2001 the E4 Policy (Energy Efficiency and Endogenous Energies). As well as looking for sustainable options for future energy sources, and so helping to slow climate change by reducing gas emissions , the programme was also designed to increase Portugal’s competitive status on the world economic stage. In the next ten years, the programme will focus on the supply and demand sides of energy efficiency, and the use of endogenous energy. Portugal currently uses such renewable energy sources as hydropower, wind power and geothermal energy.

What forms of interpreter services can TJC Global provide?

Video/videoconference interpreting: (Video Remote Interpreting is also available) TJC provides language interpreting services to support events such as business meetings, conferences, legal/court/arbitration/litigation, and other online business interactions in the industry.

Participants can communicate via video or voice calls using computers, laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc. These can be recorded should you wish to take minutes. Our professionally qualified interpreters can join your online virtual meeting, event, or proceeding, for example, and interpret remotely in the language pairing you require to facilitate smooth communication between all parties. They also provide relay interpreting.

Telephone/teleconference interpreting is a practical way to bridge any language barriers. The interpreter is either located remotely (away from either party) or is with one of the parties. In both cases, they deliver interpreting services through telephone conferencing.

Telephone interpretation is helpful for clients who cannot travel to their counterparts’ countries but still wish to hold business discussions or communicate progress updates. At TJC Global, we are pleased to provide professionally qualified interpreters in almost any selected language combination.

Simultaneous & Consecutive interpreting

Simultaneous interpreting (also available with Video Remote Interpretation (VRI))

is used for international conferences, critical business discussions, seminars & symposiums. In this case, two to three interpreters are usually situated in a booth, away from the audience, and take turns to interpret at high speed, changing over every 15-20 minutes to avoid fatigue and the lack of concentration, which affect the quality of interpretation.

The interpreters listen to the speaker’s message using headsets and repeat it immediately (practically “simultaneously”) in the target language to benefit relevant audience members. They also provide relay interpreting, which is helpful if the speakers give presentations in several languages.

Consecutive interpreting (also available with Video Remote Interpretation (VRI)) is the most common type. It is used for business discussions, negotiations, contract exchanges, commercial, legal and technical meetings, medical or court hearings, or on-site inspections or audits. The interpreter listens to the speaker, often making notes, and later delivers the meaning in the target language.

The interpreter may wait until a pause or the end, at which point they deliver a translation relatively quickly. Consecutive interpreting may also be used at conferences for panel discussions, Q&A sessions or private discussions between parties – at a stand or elsewhere.

Looking for translation or interpreting assistance?

TJC Global provides specialist interpreting and translation services in various specialist fields. Whatever your requirements, we can find the right linguist to assist you. If your industry or project type is not listed here, please contact us directly with your enquiry.

Our language specialists utilise their knowledge of subject-specific terminology to deliver precise, unambiguous translations, whatever the context – enabling you to communicate effectively with the rest of the world. We are also able to adapt to almost any type of project.

What to do next?

Please use the Quick Quote system above for a quote for interpreting, translation services or a related enquiry.
If you would like more information about our language services, please contact us.